Rash of deaths sheds light on domestic abuse

A 22-year-old student is shot to death in a College Park home by a scorned ex-boyfriend -- who later kills himself.

A single mother is shot twice in the head in a Walgreens parking lot while waiting for her estranged husband to drop off their two young daughters.

A woman escapes unharmed after her ex-boyfriend -- a retired cop -- broke in, threatened her at gunpoint, and killed himself after a standoff with police.

This rash of deadly domestic-related crimes in Orange County happened over about 24 hours Sunday and Monday. And advocates for battered women are renewing calls for caution, education and support for victims.

"To see all of this at once . . . it's very disheartening," said Dia Kuykendall, Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence's public-policy-communications director. "It's a lot to take in."

Even though the number of domestic-violence homicides has gone down since the late 1970s, about a third of women who are murdered nationwide -- on average 1,200 a year, or three a day -- are killed by an intimate partner, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Women are most at risk for escalating violence right after they leave an abusive relationship, said Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

That appears to be the case in all three of the Orange County incidents. While the crimes seem similar, their victims are not. The women represented different races and ages, but are a perfect reflection of how far-reaching and prevalent domestic violence is, across race and economic lines.

"It's a pretty clear sign that there isn't one type of person who's affected by domestic violence," Smith said.

On Saturday night, Alicia Arseneault, 22, was housesitting for her parents and invited her friend, Chris Levitt, over to view some DVDs.

Around 3:40 a.m. Sunday, her ex-boyfriend, Timothy Frechou -- whom Arseneault dated for more than a year but broke up with just two weeks ago -- fired a gunshot through the front door of the College Park home, authorities said.

"She dialed 911, and she was alive when [authorities] got there," said her aunt, Paula Garland. "She died on the way to the hospital."

Levitt, 29, died at the house. And Frechou committed suicide at another location.

"I only met him once at a family function," Garland said of Frechou, 23. "He seemed OK. He didn't stand out. But I know his family loved Alicia, so I know they're grieving."

Garland described her niece as gorgeous and goofy, with a warped sense of humor. She was studying at Seminole Community College to become a nurse.

Emmanuella Biziyaremye, 28, had been living in fear of her estranged husband since late last year, according to court documents. But it wasn't until Feb. 20, that she sought a restraining order against 33-year-old Anselme Biziyaremye -- her husband of nine years.

In a petition to the court, Biziyaremye called him a jealous man who followed her to work. She recounted pushing and shoving in front of their daughters, daily arguments, insults and threats to kill her. In one case, he "threatened to kill me by shooting me," she wrote in the petition.

On Sunday, Anselme Biziyaremye was supposed to meet his estranged wife at a Walgreens on East Colonial Drive to return the children. As the woman waited in the parking lot, witnesses say a man with a rag wrapped about his face walked up to her and shot her twice in the head while a toddler sat in the back seat. The man jumped into a waiting red four-door Nissan Sentra, whose driver sped away.

An Amber Alert was issued for the couple's daughters -- ages 8 and 7 -- and a "be on the lookout" memo was issued for the husband. The girls were found safe Monday, but Anselme Biziyaremye had not made contact with police.

Monday morning, Julie Bender awoke to her ex-boyfriend forcing his way into her home on Westmoor Bend and activated a silent alarm. When law-enforcement authorities called to check on her, she said that Michael Zuzio, 56, was pointing a gun at her and threatening to kill himself, according to reports.

Zuzio, a retiree from the Nassau County Police Department in New York, let Bender go unharmed 20 minutes later. He barricaded himself inside the home as Orange County authorities evacuated adjacent homes.

With SWAT-team members surrounding the house, Zuzio told a negotiator that he would come out at 8 a.m. When that time rolled around, Zuzio told negotiators he was going to kill himself. He hung up the phone, and one shot could be heard from inside the home.

Carol Wick, chief executive officer of Harbor House, which operates Orange County's domestic-violence shelter, said that last year there were nine domestic-violence homicides in the county. And that number will likely be surpassed this year. Smith, of the national coalition, said women in abusive relationships should not assume they're safe just because they leave. Pretending nothing can happen is "betting with your life," said Smith.

"It's probably better to assume the worse than not do anything," she said. "Women are still dying in huge numbers."